Planning Board votes to recommend charter change to record planning board and select board positions on ordinance changes

At the May 5 meeting, the Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend that the town’s charter be amended so that future ordinance change ballot materials show the planning board’s and select board’s votes on land‑use ordinance changes.

Board members expressed concern that the planning board’s unanimous recommendation against a recent zoning change (related to medical/recreational marijuana language and sales of plants) was not visible to voters when the ballot language was published. One board member said there is no current mechanism comparable to budget items that shows both the budget committee and select board recommendations on the ballot. The motion passed unanimously: the board asked staff to forward the recommendation to the select board and to request that the issue be included when a charter commission convenes to undertake the legislatively required decennial review.

Board members asked staff how charter changes are initiated; staff explained the charter commission process (a mix of appointees and elected members, public hearings, and statutory requirements) and said the board’s recommendation can be forwarded to the select board and the future charter commission for consideration.

Next steps: Staff will forward the planning board’s motion to the select board and recommend the proposed disclosure requirement be added to the agenda of the next charter commission when it is appointed.